If you are refused
A refusal is not the end of it.
A great many refusals come down to how an impairment was described, not whether the person qualifies. You have two formal routes, and both of them are free.
First, read the notice of determination
When the CRA decides, it sends a notice of determination that says why. Put it side by side with your copy of Form T2201 and check the reason given against what was actually written on the form. Very often the gap is visible immediately: a category was left thin, the “90% of the time” question was never really answered, or the effects were described on a good day.
Keep the notice. Both routes below run on its date.
Your two routes
Request a review
Within one year of the date on your notice of determination.
You ask the CRA to look again and you send important medical information you have not already provided. This is the right route when the first application was thin, or when your practitioner can add detail that was missing.
File a formal objection
Within 90 days of the date on your notice of determination.
This is a formal income tax objection. It is the right route when you believe the information you already gave was sufficient and the decision itself is wrong. The 90-day limit is strict — note it the day the notice arrives.
Broadly: if there is more to say, request a review and say it. If enough was already said and the decision still went against you, object. The routes are not mutually exclusive in every situation, but the 90-day objection window is the tighter of the two — so if you are undecided, work out your objection deadline first and decide inside it.
What helps on a second attempt
- A practitioner’s description written against the CRA’s actual tests — the 90% threshold, the three-times-longer comparison, and the fact that abilities are judged with devices and medication in use
- The cumulative-effect route, if you were assessed on a single category and refused
- Clinical records that show the impairment over time, not just at one appointment
- Plain, specific, honest examples of daily life — what takes how long, and how often
- A different qualified certifier where appropriate: an occupational therapist, psychologist, audiologist, or speech-language pathologist may certify within their scope
Talking to the CRA
You can call the CRA to discuss a DTC application at 1-800-959-8281. You are entitled to ask them to explain the reason for a decision in terms you understand.
Reading a refusal and working out which route fits is exactly the kind of thing people are charged a percentage for. Send us the notice of determination and we will help you understand it and plan the next step — at no cost, with no contract.
We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. If a significant retroactive amount is at stake, or a deadline is close, consider independent legal advice as well. For the CRA’s own guidance on disputes, see brochure P148, Resolving your dispute.